Department for Education

Universities: Antisemitism

lord leigh of hurley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which universities have replied to the lettersent by the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation on 17 May asking them to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism.

lord leigh of hurley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take, if any, in respect of those universities which refuse to adopt theInternational Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism.

lord agnew of oulton: On 16 May 2019, the former Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation (Chris Skidmore), my hon. Friend for Kingswood, wrote to higher education providers on the importance of tackling antisemitism in universities. This letter urged them to consider adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition and set out his view that, although legally non-binding, it is a useful tool which will help front-line services better understand and recognise instances of antisemitism.This government believes that adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism sends a clear message that antisemitic behaviour will not be tolerated, and that any instances of antisemitism will be taken very seriously. It is for public bodies and agencies to implement the definition and embed it within operational guidance as relevant. As autonomous organisations, it is for each higher education provider to decide if and how they wish to implement the IHRA definition. The government will continue to call on providers to demonstrate their commitment to Jewish students on campus by adopting this definition in its entirety.In this letter, the former Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation (Chris Skidmore), my hon. Friend for Kingswood, communicated to providers that the department would be keen to hear more regarding the initiatives taken by providers to address antisemitism and all forms of intolerance, harassment and hate-crime. The following institutions have so far responded to the letter: University of Cambridge, University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, University of Oxford, University of Worcester, SOAS University of London and University of Southampton.

Children in Care: Foreign Nationals

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) looked after children, and (2) care leavers, who are from the European Economic Area or Switzerland are currently supported in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland, and (d) Northern Ireland.

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) looked after children, and (2) care leavers,who are from the European Economic Area or Switzerland are currently supported in England, broken down by region.

lord agnew of oulton: The information requested on looked after children and care leavers in England is not held centrally by the department. The devolved administrations are responsible for collecting and publishing information on looked after children and care leavers in their constituent countries.

Schools: Finance

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they postponed this week’s announcement on schools funding; and when they will make such an announcement in order that schools can plan their budgets in good time for the new academic year.

lord agnew of oulton: No announcement on school funding was planned for the week commencing 15 July. At the 2015 Spending Review the government set out planned spending on education up to 2019-20. Spending plans beyond 2019-20 will be set at the next Spending Review, and we cannot pre-empt these decisions.

Children's Centres: Closures

baroness mcdonagh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the closure of Sure Start centres.

lord agnew of oulton: Since 18 September 2017, data on Sure Start children’s centres has been supplied by local authorities via the department’s Get Information about Schools database portal, which can be found at the following link: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.Based on information supplied by local authorities as at 30 June 2019, 587 Sure Start children’s centres had closed since April 2010[1]. However, councils are reconfiguring services to deliver them more efficiently. If a council decides to close a Sure Start children’s centre, statutory guidance requires them to demonstrate that local children and families will not be adversely affected. There were more children's centres open in spring 2019 than at any time under Tony Blair's premiership.Since 2010, the government has extended the entitlement to free early years education so that more children than ever can benefit from this. We introduced an entitlement to 15 hours a week of free early education for the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds (a programme that was not available before 2010). More than 850,000 disadvantaged 2-year-olds have benefitted from free early education places since the introduction of the programme in 2013. There are now more than 22,000 providers delivering places for disadvantaged 2-year-olds.The department is already starting to see progress. Take-up of places for disadvantaged 2-year-olds has risen from 58% in 2015 to 68% in 2019. The department remains committed to increasing take up. In addition, the 2017/18 Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results show that the proportion of all children achieving a ‘good level of development’ improved in 2018, with 71.5% of children achieving a good level of development, up from 51.7% in 2013. [1] Based on information supplied by local authorities as at 1 July 2019. These figures may be different to previous answers, and could change again in the future, as local authorities may update the database at any time.

Apprentices: Tourism

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprenticeships were created in the tourism sector in (1) 2014–15, (2) 2016–17, and (3) 2017–18.

lord agnew of oulton: The table below shows the number of apprenticeship starts in the travel and tourism sector subject area for each full academic year since 2014/15.[1],[2]Academic year2014/152015/162016/172017/18Travel and tourism apprenticeship starts580610650780 Notes1. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.2. The data source is the individualised learner record (ILR). Apprenticeship starts include all funded and unfunded learners reported on the ILR.3. Numbers are a count of the number of starts at any point during the period. Learners starting more than one apprenticeship will appear more than once.4. Numbers are counted for the full, final academic year (August – July). [1] Figures for 2017/18 are available here (which also includes provisional figures for the first three quarters of 2018/19): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/814997/Apprenticeship-starts-ach-framework-standard-tool_201718_Q3-201819_July2019.xlsx.[2] Figures for 2014/15 to 2016/17 are available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/694622/201415_201617_sector-subject-area-T2_age_level_demography.xlsx.

Apprentices: Taxation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the apprenticeship levy to (1) ensure companies spend more on training, and(2) broaden the levy to include a greater number of companies.

lord agnew of oulton: The former Chancellor of the Exchequer (Philip Hammond), my right hon. Friend for Runnymede and Weybridge, announced in his budget speech in October 2018, that we have been seeking views from a range of employers on the operation of the levy after 2020.Over the past few months, we have used a number of channels, including a survey and regional roundtables across England, to work with a range of different employers, providers and representative organisations. We will continue to listen to the views of employers and providers, and use this evidence to support our planning for the forthcoming Spending Review.To further support employers to make a long-term, sustainable investment in training, we have increased the amount that levy-paying employers can transfer to other employers from 10% to 25%. Almost 480 high-quality apprenticeship standards are now approved for delivery at a range of levels and sectors, giving employers more choice than ever over the training that meets their skills needs.There are no current plans to broaden the apprenticeship levy to include more companies but we continue to keep this policy under review.

Northern Ireland Office

Education: Northern Ireland

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive on the provision of (1) higher, (2) further, and (3) secondary, education in Northern Ireland; and in particular, variation of such provision between Belfast and Londonderry.

lord duncan of springbank: It is important that we deliver excellent education for our children and young people across the United Kingdom. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland understands the pressures and decisions facing education centres across Northern Ireland. The Government has committed to publishing a report on or before 4 September 2019 on higher education provision in Northern Ireland. As education is devolved these matters are of course for an incoming NI Executive to consider. That is why securing a successful outcome to the talks process, so that a functioning NI Executive can be restored, is the Secretary of State’s absolute priority. In the meantime, I will pass on the Noble Lord’s concerns to the Department of Education.